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The governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe have recorded remarkable progress in building resilience against climate shocks, including floods and drought in the Buzi, Pungwe, and Save River Basins (BUPUSA), shared exclusively by the two countries.
The progress was recorded under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) – funded Management of Competing Water Uses and Associated Ecosystems in Pungwe, Buzi, and Save Basins (GEF-BUPUSA) project, being implemented in the basins by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) as the regional executing Partner supporting the two governments.
A mid-term review commissioned by the IUCN established that the project has so far successfully responded to challenges within the basins and member states and stakeholder needs, advancing towards improved water security, climate change resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.
“IUCN is pleased with the results thus far and commends the project management unit for its
proactive, thorough, and committed approach to executing the project,” said Mr Tariro Davison Saruchera – Regional Programme Manager-Integrated Water Resources Management, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO).
The four-year project focuses on strengthening water-related risk management through the reinforcement of monitoring and enhancing ecosystem services through quantitative water management.
The project supported the finalisation of the negotiations that led to the signing of the Save Water Sharing Agreement, the BUPUSA Establishment and Hosting Agreements, which together with the Pungwe (2016) and Buzi (2019) Water Sharing Agreements, culminated in the establishment of the BUPUSA Watercourses Commission (BUPUSACOM) in May 2023. The Commission oversees the planning, development, and management of the water resources within the three basins.
The SADC Secretariat congratulated the governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe on the successful signing and launching of the BUPUSACOM, the first tri-basin institution in the region.
“SADC welcomes the first tri-basin institution in the region – BUPUSACOM, to the family of shared watercourse institutions in the region”, Dr. Patrice Kabeya, Senior Programme Officer – Water, SADC Secretariat
The project is supporting the governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe to increase preparedness for floods and droughts, as a means of reducing the impact of the climate extremes in the tri-basin.
The project has installed, within the tri-basin, hydro-meteorological equipment to provide real-time, accurate, and practicable measurements of water flow which inform flood forecasting and early